HEADACHES & MIGRAINES

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There are many kinds of headaches, and each type can have different causes, even when the symptoms seem similar. At Northwest Functional Neurology, we look closely at your history, exam and testing to help identify your type of headache and the factors that may be contributing to it, so your care can be designed around what we find. Our care works alongside your physician and other providers, never in place of them.

Get emergency care or call 911 for a sudden, severe headache (the worst of your life), or a headache with fever and a stiff neck, confusion, weakness, numbness, trouble speaking, vision loss, a seizure, or one that follows a head injury and keeps getting worse.

OUR NEURORESCUE PROGRAM

WHAT IS A MIGRAINE?

Migraine is one of the most common and most disabling neurological disorders, affecting millions of people. It causes a wide range of symptoms, including severe headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and strong sensitivity to light, sound and smells. Light and sound in particular can make migraine pain much worse.

Some people have an aura before a migraine. An aura usually involves visual changes, such as flashing lights, zigzag lines or blind spots, and sometimes tingling, numbness or trouble speaking. It typically starts gradually and lasts from a few minutes to an hour, often just before the headache begins.

Migraine pain is often on one side of the head and face, though it can affect both sides. In adults, an attack usually lasts anywhere from about 4 hours to 3 days. During an attack, many people have to stop whatever they are doing, find a dark, quiet, cool place and wait for the symptoms to slowly ease.

CONDITION TYPES

Cervicogenic Headaches | Cluster | Post-Concussive | Vestibular Migraines | Trigeminal Neuralgia

OUR TREATMENTS

We design your NeuroRescue Program to look at the structural and neurological factors that may be involved in your headaches. We evaluate the muscles, joints, ligaments and nerves of your neck and jaw, the nervous system controls that guide them, and the brain and brainstem systems that normally help turn pain signals down.

We also review your health history and any relevant lab work, because factors such as sleep, blood sugar, hormones and inflammation can affect headaches. When we find issues that are better managed by other providers, we coordinate with your physician or refer you.

We bring all of this information together into a program designed for you, with the goal of addressing the factors behind your headaches, not just the pain, and helping reduce how often your headaches happen and how strong they are. Our care works alongside your physician and other providers, never in place of them. Please don’t change or stop any medication without talking with your prescriber. Read More

CLINICAL RESEARCH

We use clinical research to help guide treatment plans designed for you, with the goal of reducing how often your headaches and migraines happen and how strong they are. Learn More

“Dr. Z has been such a great help for our daughter. She suffered migraines and vertigo from a car accident for two years. She saw many specialists with no help. Dr Z was excited about her puzzling brain and he had the migraines and vertigo fixed in a week. She is still working on several small things but we have our daughter back. He’s the best and we would highly recommend him to anyone with neurological issues.”

— Kate I.

“The improvements were amazing for me to see. They were very obvious on the charts as well as for my own pain. I’ve never gone this long without a migraine.”

— Jen, Migraine patient

Our Brain-Based Approach to Headaches and Migraines